


Smoke & Mirrors

by msouma



Series: Kliego Week 2020 [1]
Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Incest, M/M, mentions of alcohol use, other than that its just dumb teens being in love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-26
Updated: 2020-10-26
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:15:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27207976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/msouma/pseuds/msouma
Summary: Slowly, Diego raised his gaze in hopes that the man was there no longer. The room was empty, apart from a politely smiling Grace. Once tense body gave way to the relaxing shivers that ran through him, and he heaved out a sigh. Though this was only temporary, as a new anxiety made way - he needed to learn how to dance in just a day.-Kliego Week 2020 Day 2 - Teen!Kliego.
Relationships: Diego Hargreeves/Klaus Hargreeves
Series: Kliego Week 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1986322
Kudos: 21
Collections: Kliego Week 2020





	Smoke & Mirrors

**Author's Note:**

> Against my better judgement, I'm starting this from Day 2! Mainly bc I had no ideas for Day 1, and kliego as cute little teens is well... cute.
> 
> So yeah hopefully y'all will enjoy this!

“Number Two!” Came the pointed voice of Sir Reginald Hargreeves, interrupting the soft music surrounding the hall. His mother stopped dancing, let go of Diego, and scurried off to a corner to turn the melody off.

“You are, what I call, absolutely  _ inept.  _ You cannot even step a foot in the right direction, and you expect to chase criminals with those things you call legs?” The sharp voice didn’t fail to penetrate every single muscle in Diego’s body until it cracked through his bones. A sigh so painful that it rang through Diego’s skull, then a regulated, elegant wave of his father’s hand.

“I’m sor… r… ry, Sir.” The boy bowed his head down, nervous fingers playing with the soft material of his shorts as his eyes counted just how many tiles there were on the floor. _ One, two, three, four, five, si- _

“Apologies won’t change a thing. Train, Number Two, train. And by tomorrow, show me the best dance I’ve ever seen. Otherwise, we will have to intensify your training times. Clearly, current methods aren’t working.” With a curt nod of his head, the man turned around. And after a few hits of his cane, he disappeared out of the room and, probably, into his office.

Slowly, Diego raised his gaze in hopes that the man was there no longer. The room was empty, apart from a politely smiling Grace. Once tense body gave way to the relaxing shivers that ran through him, and he heaved out a sigh. Though this was only temporary, as a new anxiety made way - he needed to learn how to dance in just a day.

—

_ The solution is no good,  _ he decided as he raised his fist to knock on his brother’s door. Anyone else would’ve been a better choice - other than Luther or Vanya. Allison was a goddess when it came to dancing, always the one to show off, Ben was a master at everything when he put his mind to it, and Grace; well, there was no need to explain this one. His mother was wonderful at everything she needed to.

Yet he came knocking on Klaus’ door.

Klaus’ dancing was almost perfect - on par with Allison’s. He knew just how to roll his body in a way that made you shiver, and shove his feet in set movements like they were chess pieces on a board. But his personality, on the other hand, was not as perfect. Agree to help he might, but there would be a catch. There’s  _ always _ a catch. And it would land Diego in a position of embarrassment, guilt, or some disgusting combination of both.

Still, he believed in his brother. Despite his oddity and rebellion, Klaus held a softness in him that Diego couldn’t help but notice. No one ever gave him that same fond looks, warm smiles - not even his mother. So maybe, just maybe, Klaus would let that compassion shine through this one time.

The door was thrown open, and what greeted him was a wreck - barefooted, clad in Vanya’s uniform skirt with a baggy t-shirt tucked into it, Allison’s pink boa wrapped around his shoulders. While disastrous, he sure was  _ beautiful. _

“Whaddya need?” The perfect mess asked, combing his black nails through his short, disarrayed curls. “I’m kinda busy right now… But if it’s very, and I mean,  _ very _ important, then shoot! I don’t guarantee I won’t shoot back though!” He was clearly proud of this dumb joke, if the giggle was any proof of that.

“That made no sense,” Diego grumbled as he pushed past the lanky body he called his brother. His cold act ended there, as he once more flicked his eyes towards the ground. Not even the fairylights flickering on the wall grabbed his attention as he worked his courage up to speak.

“Y-you… you know, how we, uh… have th-those lessons? F… for dancing? Yeah, well, um…” A sigh to calm his nerves (and stutter), “I can’t do a single thing right and our father fucking hates me for it and I need to learn how to dance before he amps up my training so much that I break my legs or die.” The words came out a jumbled, fast mess, but Klaus understood.

He just gave a hum, rolled back his shoulders as he threw the boa down on his bed, glanced at the wall and then at Diego. “What’s in it for me?”

“Huh?”

“What’s in it for me,  _ big boy? _ No favor is done for free, and this certainly is no exception. So what will I get in return?”

Diego gave it a thought, then another. How stupid of him to think that his brother could ever be anything more than  _ selfish. _ While he knew he’d regret this one day, desperate times call for desperate measures. So he gave in, as he always did when it came to Klaus.

“Whatever it is you want, Klaus.”

“ _ Ohh… _ ” Klaus’ tongue held up at the roof of his open mouth for a second too long before it clicked down with a loud pop. In just a moment, the door was shut and Klaus was now facing him, grasping Diego’s hand with his right one. Diego was pulled in uncomfortably close, with Klaus’ left arm around his waist and their faces inches apart. The guy was so damn tall. Diego wished to stomp on his feet already, to show him that outgrowing his brother was a bad idea. He supposed he’d have to do it when they’re actually dancing.

“Alright then, bro, you have to stop staring at me like a frail little maiden and get your hand on my shoulder. Come on now, come on,” Klaus encouraged. His breath gave off a faint smell of alcohol, which caused Diego’s nose to scrunch up. If he could only break every bottle that Klaus had hidden around the house, he would. Maybe then he’d get back the normal him. But who’s he kidding? Klaus would lap it all up from the floor before he’d let Diego waste a single drop.

Diego couldn’t remember a specific time Klaus became like this. Maybe there was no magic wand that turned him this way. Maybe he was always like this. But it was foolish of Diego to think about it too long - the reason didn’t matter. What mattered was that his brother, while only 15, was already destroying himself.

Wait, why did he care? They all had to cope with living here, somehow. Klaus’ methods differed from Diego’s, that’s all. 

“I… I thought I’m leading, Klaus. Isn’t that what father would want?” Diego’s tone returned to the neutral one he so often possessed, though his eyes gave way to what he was feeling - anxiety mixed with a little bit of fear, and possibly, maybe, an ounce of excitement. That ounce was matched with a ton of joy practically radiating from Klaus, whose fingers tapped against Diego’s back.

“ _ Maybeee _ … but if you really wanted to learn the rules of dancing, why didn’t you go to Allison or mom? Then, you could lead. But  _ nope! _ ” His hand moved away from Diego’s back to take his left hand and drag it to Klaus’ shoulder, then returned to its position. “You chose to ask your  _ brother  _ for help. I don't know what it says about you, in particular, but I do know it means you won’t take the lead.”

As quick as ever, he stepped forward with his left foot, nudging his toes against Diego’s shoe, causing him to move back.

“No, not both feet,” Klaus whispered, and after taking a step, stopped in place, “step back only with your left foot.”

He pushed again, and this time, Diego took the needed step backwards. Klaus then moved his right foot to the side, urging Diego to follow with some quiet encouragements. After this, came his left foot. Then, his right foot travelled back, left back and to the side, right following along with ease. Diego was already stumbling. The proper moves were quickly forgotten as he tried his best to follow the speed of the other.

Though Klaus kept trying. While at first there were a few jokes about the klutz Diego was, soon they melted into a comfortable rhythm of counting. Klaus’ soft voice only reminded him of  _ one, two, three, four, five, six. _ Everything in rhythm, everything unhurried and patient, everything  _ soft. _ Like Klaus’ laughter, interrupting them everytime Diego stepped on his foot.

One, Diego pushed his left foot back. Two, right to the leading side. Three, left following along. Four, and he fell down on Klaus’ bed.

It took him a moment to understand what just happened. He had gotten into the dancing, the lulling rhythm of his brother’s speech and their moves soothing out all of the wrinkles of anxiety in him. It was all broken in a split second by the rhythm crashing down together with Diego onto Klaus’ bed. One wrong step, and it’s all over. One wrong step, and he could ruin everything he had with Klaus.  _ If  _ he had anything.

Diego blinked, eyes focused on the boy on top of him. From up close, Klaus was more beautiful than ever. Striking green eyes - one lined with black ink, the other bare - untouched, thick brows covered by stray curls, beauty marks and small scars imprinted on the pasty skin. Everything was so close, yet so far away. Like a forbidden fruit waiting to be bitten in the garden of Eden. God save him, he wished to bite into it so badly.

“I think I know what I want in return,” Klaus spoke. Diego could feel his breath against his lips. It still smelled of alcohol. He didn’t mind.

“Wha...What is i-it?” He stuttered out, voice just as unstable as his mind. So many thoughts ran through it like they were racing a mile, but one won -  _ he craved to kiss Klaus.  _ It was a feral desire, one he’d never touch upon, and yet here he was, silently begging for that sweet taste of poison.

It had to be the years of being sheltered. Diego very rarely stepped a foot outside of the academy, mostly to do the tasks given to him by his father or to rebel. But not once had he met someone in the outside world who he deemed worthy to touch, much more to kiss.

It had to be all those times of being stuck in the library together with Klaus, where instead of studying, they’d be laughing about whatever dumb shit the other said. How can you  _ not _ get the tiniest bit of a crush on someone so charming, so fun, so alluring?

It had to be their quiet conversations about how they’ll live their lives as normal people when they grow up while they cuddled up in one of their beds. Klaus had said he’ll be a waiter, Diego had promised he’ll be a cop who’ll buy donuts from Klaus’ coffee shop.

While Diego studied his attraction towards the deathly pale beauty, the other studied him. He could practically feel Klaus’ eyes boring into his own, fingers splaying against his cheek as if they searched for something to grasp on. They were cold. Diego had always told him to cover up more, especially while in the house - even in the summer, it was freezing cold in the huge manor. Here Klaus was, barely dressed for the occasion and laying right on top of him. He  _ never  _ listened.

“Tell… Tell me, wh-”

It was a warm match that lit a fire to a whole forest, his lips, despite being as cold as a corpse’s. Dry, chapped, rough,  _ enchanting. _ They tasted of alcohol as much as they tasted of chocolate pudding (definitely stolen from the kitchen). Among those precious flavors was something magical, unknown. Diego couldn’t figure this secret out.

As Klaus’ lips moved against his own, Diego could only stare up in a daze, eyes unfocused yet concentrated all at once. He saw only white, with a few peeks of a dark pattern melting in - Klaus’ brow, maybe - but it all soon faded out into darkness as his eyes closed.

Diego’s hands moved on their own - one to tug at Klaus’ curls, the other gripping onto the sheets to ground himself for just a second. He could feel Klaus pull against the force of his hand to move away, but he pressed and pressed until their lips melted into an incomprehensible mush. He could not understand what he was feeling, any longer. Maybe he wasn’t feeling anything at all. Like a momentary black out in the house, but it was no electricity. It was his body, his  _ heart. _

But then the bony hand pressed against his chest and Klaus pulled away, thus flickering the lights back on. Diego took a moment to come to himself - eyes blinking to regain full vision, bottom lip trembling for more, his hand sliding down from the soft hair to his own chest. The feeling of his uniform vest was far less comforting.

“Consider this a payment for my services.” Klaus grinned as he stood up, hand extending towards Diego.

But Diego didn’t take it. He laid there, staring up at the ceiling as the numbness ebbed away. Now that the blinding desire vanished into thin air, he was left with guilt baring its teeth at him and an unknown need wrapping its hands around his throat.

“Why?” He managed out as he pushed himself to sit. He didn’t dare to look at Klaus, so his eyes counted the floorboards instead -  _ one, two, three, four, five, si- _

“Because I wanted to know how it feels.” As if he’d ever get a satisfactory response from his dear brother. 

“Right.” He shook his head as he finally grabbed onto Klaus’ hand, moving to stand up. He tugged the other in, wrapped his left arm around his waist. “Now let me lead, and I’ll give you whatever you want.”

_ Left foot forwards. _

“Sure.” Klaus chuckled.

_ Right foot to the side, left following along.  _

“But I’d rather hear what you want now. So I could prepare beforehand,” Diego warned. No surprise kisses again, he could barely handle one without completely shutting off.

_ Right foot back, left as well, but to the other side. _

“Oh, you…” A sigh, then a grin so wide that Klaus’ teeth showed. “You know fully well what I want.”

Diego raised a questioning brow. No, not really. He didn’t know.

_ Right foot against the left. _

“I want you,” Klaus mused like it was the most normal thing in the world. “You know… so I’d know how it feels.”

Diego paused, cheeks flushing. Klaus tapped his shoulder, so he would continue with the dance.

_ Then repeat all over again. _

“R… Right.” Maybe their deal wasn’t so bad after all.


End file.
